Shipping container



June 26, 1923.

L. E. ROOKS SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Feb. 25 1922 Q 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 26, 1923. 1,459,991

L. E. ROOKS SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Feb. 25. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 on H000 an 9o on Patented June 26, 1923.

LUTHER n. BOOKS, or JACKSON, TENNESSEE.

.SHIPPING CONTAINER.

Applicationv filed February 25, 1922. Serial No..539,126.

, specification.

This invention relates to improvements in containers for use in shipping merchandise and: while in the illustrated embodiment of the invention the improvements are directed more particularly to a barrel, they may find embodiment in containers of other types such for example as crates, kegs, hogsheads, etc. Heretofore the-stares and other component parts of barrels have been. cut in one locality, then dried or seasoned, and then shipped in their disassembled condition to the manufacturer who is to make use of the barrels. The manufacturer has been compelled to maintain, in connection with his factory, a coopering establishment where the component parts of the barrels are assembled and the barrel completed and finished. This is rendered necessary for the reason that it would "be too expensive to ship the barrels in completed conditionfrom the place where the Wood was cut, to the manufacturer who was to make use of the barrels. As a consequence the ordinary barrel is comparatively expensive. Also there has in the past been an enormous waste of good timber in the manufacture of the barrel staves for the reason that if there is present in a cut stave a knot or other defect of any considerable area the entire stave must be discarded and becomes a total loss. In fact it has been found utterly impractical to use any but good timber in the manufacture of barrel staves and it is furthermore not practical to make use of certain kinds of wood, thus rendering necessary the selection of the best material available. In the present invention therefore one of its primary objects is to provide a barrel comprising sections adap-ted to be nested and thus permitting of the barrel being shipped in compact form, the invention therefore providing means whereby a barrel may be.

manufactured directly at the place where the timber is cut and may be shipped in its completed form to the purchaser, the sections of a number of such barrels when suitably nested, occupying practically no more space than would be occupied by the bundles of staves, heads, and hoops required in the manufacture of a corresponding number of barrels under the old method of procedure. Another object of the invention is to provide in a barrel of the class referred to, sec tions adapted. to be assembled in a manner to form the body of the barrel, and means adapted; to be conveniently bound about the meeting ends of thesections to firmly and securelyhold them united and with the same degree of strength and security as though 1 the barrel were of integral structure instead of being made in sections.

Another object of the invention is to provide for the utilization of the poorer grades of timber, and of Woods which could not be employed in themanufacture of the ordinary forms of barrel staves, so that by reason of the nature of theimprovements, there will be practically no waste of timber, it being possible to make use of pieces of timher which under the old procedure would be thrown away and constitute a total loss. In this connection the invention contemplates forming the walls of the body sections of the barrel of slabs of veneer or other relatively thin cut wood and arranged in two concentric series, the slabs of one series breaking joint with those of the other series so as to obtain a maximum degree of reinforcement and permit of the utilization of slabs regardless of defects therein, it being a rare occurrence that a knot or other defeet in one slab will come so directly into overlapped or registering relation to a similar defect in another slab as to weaken the structure.

. Another object of the invention is to so unite the slabs of the two seriesv comprising the wall of each body section of the barrel as to insure of a permanent union of the slabs and prevent their relative displacement, likewise reinforcing the structure to the maximum degree.

Another object of the invention is to provide' a barrel of the class mentioned in which the sections may be readily set up and connected or bound together, the barrelfilled, and finally headed in the most convenient manner.

Another object of the invention is to so construct and connect thebarrel sections that when the barrel and its contents are received by the retailer the sections may be readily disconnected at any time found desirable, and separately employed as hampers or separate hea baskets for the display of the commodities which will generally be in the nature of an encircling hoop, may be packed or arranged in the most compact manner when the barrel parts are prepared for shipment from the place of manufacture to the purchaser, as well as serving the purpose of retaining the body sections of the barel in nested condition.

Another object of the invention is to provide a barrel which, while its body is formed in sections as stated, will be equally if not more substantial than the ordinary barrel constructed with single staves and may therefore be employed a number of times before it becomes unfit for further use.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figural is a perspective view of the barrel embodyin the invention, the initially of the barrel being shown se arated from the body of the barrel;

igure 2 is a vertical diametric sectional view through the barrel set up and closed;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating the manner in which the component parts of the barrel are arranged when prepared for shipment;

Figure 4 is a detail horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 44 of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a similar View taken substantially on the line 55 of Figure 2; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view in detail of a portion of the means provided for holding the body sections of the barrel assembled.

The body of the barrel embodying the invention is indicated in general by the nu- -meral 1 and the same comprises two sections which for convenience in describing the invention are individually indicated by the reference numerals 2 and 3, the sections 2 and 3 being respectively the lower and up per sections when the sections are assemled and the barrel is set up. The sections are of counterpart form except in the provision within the top of the section 3 of means for supporting and holding in place the initially separate head of the barrel, and the sections are preferablyof the tapered or frusto-conical form illustrated in the drawings so as to adapt them to be nested as shown in Figure 3. The wall of each body section is made up of inner and outer series of staves indicated respectively by the nu merals 4 and 5. These staves may be of veneer or in the nature of sawed slabs, and they may be produced from practically any kind of wood available inasmuch as they are of less length than the ordinary barrel stave,

and the presence of knots and other defects therein is not of consequence. The series of staves 4 and 5 are arranged in concentric relation, and the staves of one series break joint'with the staves of the other series as clearly shown'in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings. As the barrel sections are to be given the frusto-conical form illustrated, the staves are formed wider at one end than at the other and preferably gradually and uniformly tapered. In cutting the ordinary barrel stave it must be fashioned in such a manner that. it will taper from its mid POI- tion toward each end and as a consequence tice,.as the veneer is cut from the log, diagonally and alternately oppositely inclined incisions will be made longitudinally in the log, and the slabs comprising the staves will be delivered alternately reversed end for end.

' The lower or minor end of the body section 2 is permanently closed by a head 6 about the periphery of which the lower or minor ends of the staves 4 and 5 are assembled in their proper overlapped relation, these ends of the staves being stapled as at 7 to the periphery of the said head. The staples 7 are secured also through a hoop 8 which surrounds and binds the said lower ends of the staves. One or more hoops 9 are similarly arranged about the section Walls and secured to the assembled staves by stapling as indicated by the numeral 10. In this manner not only are the hoops 9 permanently and securely fastened to the staves comprising the section walls, but furthermore the staples serve as a means for bonding together the intermediate portions of the staves of the two. series 4 and 5.

A hoop 11 is stapled or otherwise secured as at 12 circumferentially-about the major end of each ofthe barrel sections and reinforces and binds this portion of the wall of the respective section, one edge of each of the hoops 11 bein substantially flush or in registration with t e edge of the wall at the said end of the section. The other or relatively remote edges of the hoops 11, in the assembled relation of the sections 2 and 3, form shoulders 13 which extend continuously circumferentially of the respective sections and which serve a purpose to be presently explained.

As stated above the head 6 which closes the bottom of the section 2 is permanently secured in place. The section 3is adapted to be closed at its upper end by means of a head 14 which however is initially separate from said section but, after the barrel has been filled, is adapted to be disposed within the open upper or minor end of the section 3 in position to rest marginally upon the edge of a hoop secured to the inner surface of the wall of the said section along a circumferential line spaced inwardly a suitable distance from the edge of the section Wall. After the head 14 has been disposed in position as shown in Figure 2, another hoop 16 is arranged within the said upper open end of the section 3 above the head 14 and is secured by brads or other fastening elements 17 driven through it and into the staves comprising the wall of said section. In this manner the barrel may be closed and sealed after its sections have been assembled and it has been filled and it will be evident that while the head 14 was initially separate hoop which is indicated in general by the numeral 18 and which is in the form of an open annulus. This hoop is preferably formed from resilient sheet metal and is of a length to adapt it to completely encircle the body of the barrel at the meeting ends of the sections 2 and 3. The upper and lower edges of the metal strip from which the hoop is formed are overturned upon themselves as indicated by the numeral 19 so as to form beads 20 adapted to seat over the relatively remote edges of the hoops 11 when the barrel sections are assembled in the manner illustrated, and as best shown in Figure 2, the hoop 18 at its inner side binding firmly against the outer faces of the said hoops 11. The overturned edges 19 of the hoop 18 preferably enclose spaced strands of wire indicated by the numeral 21 and at one end of the hoop these strands project a suitable distance totprovide a bail 22 to which is pivotally connected the inner end of a locking lever indicated in general by the numeral 23. The Wires likewise project at the other end of the hoop and form a bail 24 which constitutes a keeper with which the locking lever 23 is to coact. The said .locking lever 23 is preferably formed from a strip metal blank bent at one' end upon itself to provide a pintle portion 25 pivotally engaging the cross piece of the bail 22, and this lever, at a oint adjacent its said inner end is bent back and forth upon itself to provide a seat 26 in which the cross piece of the bail 24 is engageable as best shown in Figure 1 of the drawings. It will now be evident that when the hoop 18 has been disposed about the meeting ends of the as sembled sections 2 and 3 and adapted about the hoops 11, the free end of the lever 23 may be engaged through the bail 24 and the lever then swung about its pivot so as to bring the seat 26 into engagement with the cross pieceof the bail and thus draw the.

the wire of a seal 29 may be applied in a manner to restrain the lever against swinging movement to unlocking position and to seal the container. It will now be evident that inasmuch as the beads 20 of the hoop 18' the meeting ends of the barrel sections, the' said sections will be securely connected in their assembled relation and there will'be no likelihood of them becoming separated or so relatively displaced as to occasion loss of the contents of the barrel. In fact there is no reason why the barrel should not be employed in shipping commodities such as flour, salt, starch, and the like.

A barrel constructed in accordance with the invention is adapted to be manufactured directly at the place where the timber is cut and after its sections have been built up to the form illustrated, they may be nested in the manner shown in Figure 3 and one barrel set into another without any limit as to the number of sets of sections which may thus be compactly arranged or associated for shipment. The hoops 18 do not require to be separately packed or bundled but on the other hand may be temporarily bound about the respective barrel body sections as shown in Figure 3 and under which conditions they will thus be compactly arranged for shipment and also serve as a means for binding together the nested body sections and hold-.

ing them in their assembled relation during the period of shipment.

It will be understood of course that the container may be made in various diameters and heights and that the stave may be made of various thicknesses and widths all depending of course upon the use to which the container is to be put.

It will be understood that so far as the feature of the means provided for connecting the sections of the container is concerned, the staves comprising the walls of the sections might be arranged in overlapping and registering relation or single staves might be employed so that the spaces between the adjacent edges of adjacent staves would not be covered as in the form of the invention previously described. Such a construction would be useful where it was desired to manufacture a ventilated. barrel or hamper.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimedas new is:

1. A shipping container comprising body sections to be assembled end toend, hoops surrounding the said sections adjacent their meeting ends and affording circumscribing shoulders, and a binding hoop for encompassing the said ends of the sections and constructed to fit over the first mentioned hoops and engage behind the shoulders provided by their edges.

2. A shipping container comprising body sections to be assembled end to end and provided adjacent their meeting ends with circumscribing shoulders, an open binding hoop for encompassing the said ends of the sections and having portions to engage over the said shoulders, and means for closing the hoop about the said ends of the sections.

3. A shipping container comprising body sections to be assembled end to end and provided adjacent their meeting ends with circumscribing shoulders, and a binding hoop for encompassing the said ends of the sections and provided upon its inner side with v beads to seat behind the said shoulders and thus lock the sections against separation.

4. A shipping container comprising body sections to be assembled end to end, hoops exteriorly surrounding the said sections adjacent their said ends, and a binding hoop for encompassing the said ends of the sections and provided with spaced beads upon its inner'sidesto engage the said relatively remote edges of the first mentioned hoops. v 5. A ship-ping container comprising body sections to be assembled end to end, hoops extending about the exterior of the walls of the sections at their meeting ends, one edge of each hoop being in substantial registration with the edge of the wall of the respecthe saidsections being provided at their ends which are relatively adjacent in both assemblagesof the sections with exterior circum-- scribing shoulders, and a binding hoop adaptable to the sections in either condition of assemblage and having portions in either instance to engage over the said shoulders and restrain the sections against separation.

7. A shipping container comprisin body sections of substantially frusto-conica form and each having its wall composed of staves tapered from end to end and s0 assembled and united as tobring their wider ends to the major ends of the respective sections, the sections being disposable with their said major ends meeting and being provided adjacent their said ends exteriorly with circum scribing shoulders, and a binding hoop for encompassing the said ends of the sections and having portions'to engage over the said shoulders.

8. A shipping container comprising body sections to be assembled end to end and provided with shoulders surrounding their said ends, and a binding hoop for encompassing the said ends of the sections, the hoop comprising a body provided with beads at its edges to engage behind the shoulders upon the said body sections, bails at the ends of the hoop having side portions confined and retained by the beads of the hoop, andmeans associated with the said bails for closing the hoop about the said assembled body sections.

In testimony whereof I aflizr my signature.

LUTHER E. Room. a 5. 

